• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.29 no.3B
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• pp.303-310
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• 2009

Natural zeolite is widely used as sorbents and bio-media materials because it is cheap as well as it has efficient porous structures and large cation exchange. In this study, the effect of metal cations $(Na^+,\;Ca^{2+},\;Mg^{2+},\;Al^{3+})$ adsorbed to natural zeolite on the microorganism attachment was investigated. Metal-modified zeolites (MMZ) were prepared with 0.01 M, 0.02 M and 0.1 M NaCl, $CaCl_2$, $MgCl_2$ and $AlCl_3$ solutions respectively, which concentrations were equivalent to 10%, 20% and 100% of cation exchange capacity (CEC) of natural zeolite. Pseudomonas putida was used as microorganism which was cultivated in Beef Extract Medium at $26^{\circ}C$. The microorganism attachment to MMZ was increased more than natural zeolite. The amount of bacterial adhesion to MMZ and natural zeolite were $Mg^{2+}>natural>Na^+>Al^{3+}>Ca^{2+}$ under 10% of CEC, $Mg^{2+}>Ca^{2+}>Al^{3+}>natural>Na^+$ under 20% of CEC and $Ca^{2+}>Mg^{2+}>natural>Al^{3+}>Na^+$ under 100% of CEC. Especially, Mg-modified zeolite (Mg-MZ) showed the highest amount of bacterial adhesion, which increased the microorganism attachment 60% higher than natural zeolite under 10% of CEC. However, the amount of bacterial adhesion was decreased as the concentration of metal cations modified to zeolite were increased, showing that the increased amounts were 60% under 10% of CEC, 50% under 20% of CEC and 10% under 100% of CEC in Mg-MZ. Additionally, the effect of $Mg^{2+}$ in solution on the bacterial adhesion was investigated in order to compare it with the effect of $Mg^{2+}$ adsorbed to zeolite. The maximum quantity of bacterial adhesion to Mg-MZ was not different from the amount of microorganism attachment to the natural zeolite when $Mg^{2+}$ solution was added.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.19-26
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• 2023

Hydrogen, a clean energy source free of COx emissions, is poised to replace fossil fuels, with its usage on the rise. Despite its high energy content per unit mass, hydrogen faces limitations in storage and transportation due to its low storage density and challenges in long-term storage. In contrast, ammonia offers a high storage capacity per unit volume and is relatively easy to liquefy, making it an attractive option for storing and transporting large volumes of hydrogen. While NH₃ decomposition is an endothermic reaction, achieving excellent low-temperature catalytic activity is essential for process efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The study examined the effects of different zeolite types (5A, NaY, ZSM5) on NH₃ decomposition activity, considering differences in pore structure, cations, and Si/Al-ratio. Notably, the 5A zeolite facilitated the high dispersion of Ni across the surface, inside pores, and within the structure. Its low Si/Al ratio contributed to abundant acidity, enhancing ammonia adsorption. Additionally, the presence of Na and Ca cations in the support created medium basic sites that improved N₂ desorption rates. As a result, among the prepared catalysts, the 15 wt%Ni/5A catalyst exhibited the highest NH₃ conversion and a high H₂ formation rate of 23.5 mmol/g_cat·min (30,000 mL/g_cat·h, 600 ℃). This performance was attributed to the strong metal-support interaction and the enhancement of N₂ desorption rates through the presence of medium basic sites.

• Clean Technology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.123-133
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• 2024

Zeolite template carbon (ZTC) was synthesized as an adsorbent to remove low-concentration CH₄ from the atmosphere. The synthesis of ZTC was performed using CH₄ and C₂H₂ as carbon precursors and their impact on adsorption was investigated. ZTC was also synthesized using Y zeolite ion-exchanged with CaCl₂ and LiCl as templates to investigate the effect of using metals in ion exchange. The comparison of the carbon precursors revealed that C₂H₂ had a higher carbon yield than CH₄. The synthesized ZTC exhibited developed micropores due to carbon deposition deep inside the micropores of the zeolite template. The kinetic diameter of C₂H₂ (0.33 nm) is smaller than that of CH₄ (0.38 nm), which allowed for its deposition. The study compared metal precursors used for ion exchange and confirmed that the CaCl₂-based ZTC developed more micropores compared to the LiCl-based ZTC. The ion-exchanged Ca inhibited pore blocking by the carbon precursor, allowing it to enter the pores. The ability of synthesized ZTC to adsorb N₂ and CH₄ at 298 K was investigated. The results showed that CH₄ had a higher overall adsorption amount than N₂. The sample synthesized using C₂H₂ and CaY exhibited the highest N₂ and CH₄ adsorption capacity. However, the sample synthesized with CH₄ had the highest CH₄/N₂ gas uptake ratio, which is a crucial factor in designing an adsorption process. The observed difference was likely caused by the underdevelopment of ultrafine pores that are associated with N₂ adsorption. This resulted in a reduction of N₂ adsorption, leading to an increase in CH₄/N₂ separation.